Lunch: Crusty Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe by Scott Peacock The cliché, in this case, turns out to be true: Biscuits benefit from TLC. Peacock recommends White Lily flour, one of the lightest available, along with lard for a flaky texture so fluffy and airy that the biscuits almost float o

Ingredients

5 cups sifted White Lily flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder (preferably homemade; see recipe)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold lard
1 1/2 cups well-shaken cold buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500 °F with rack in middle.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add lard, coating it with flour, then rub between your fingertips until coarsely blended with some 1/2-inch lumps.
Make a well in flour mixture, then add buttermilk, stirring just until a dough forms (it will be soft and sticky). Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 8 to 10 times. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round (1/2 inch thick) and, using a fork dipped in flour, prick all the way through about every 1/2 inch.
Cut out as many rounds as possible with a 2 1/2- to 3-inch round cookie/biscuit cutter dipped in flour (do not twist cutter).
Bake, almost touching, on an ungreased heavy baking sheet, rotating sheet after about 6 minutes if browning unevenly, until crusty and golden-brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter and serve warm or at room temperature.